Replacing disposable storage products with reusable ones is a really easy and high-impact way to reduce plastic and food waste. There are so many options out there, so want to share my reviews of several popular products that I use.
Glasslock
I have been using Glasslock containers about a decade. I love them because they are made out of glass, with the exception of the covers, which are plastic. The newer models are oven-safe making them really convenient for baking a small amount of something and using the same container for storage. This helps cut down on the number of dishes I need to wash. They are easy to clean and relatively airtight. While the covers have a silicone gasket, they aren’t 100% leakproof. (I’ve ruined many canvas bags while transporting lunches packed in these to work.)
Pros
Durable
Stackable
Easy to clean
Easy to fill
Easy to eat or serve out of
Cons
Take up a lot of space in cabinets and the refrigerator
Not 100% leakproof
Stasher
I started using these in 2019. They are made out of platinum-grade silicone and are 100% leakproof, making them great for storing and transporting liquids. They are also excellent at keeping your produce fresh for quite a long time! I once stored some parsley and forgot about it for over two weeks. When I took it out, most of it looked perfectly fresh. An added bonus is that they can be used for sous vide and in the oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
The benefit of its leakproof seal does come at a price: the design of the enclosure makes the bags a bit difficult to clean and fill, especially when transferring liquids to them. The design makes it challenging to keep the opening wide enough to fill. My favorite model is their Stand-Up Bag, which I have found to be the easiest to use.
Pro Tip: I recommend using a bottle brush to clean them. While they can go into the dishwasher, you still may need to do a little bit of extra pre-handwash work to get all food particles out of it.
Pros
100% leakproof
Oven- and sous vide-safe
Easy to store
Can be repurposed via Stasher’s repurpose program
Cons
More difficult to clean and dry than rigid containers
Difficult to fill
Zip Top
This is my most recent discovery. As with Stasher, Zip Top makes their containers out of platinum silicone. These containers are not 100% leakproof, but they are fantastic because they are structured with a flat bottom and a wide opening, which makes them really easy to fill and clean.
Due to its design, you lose a lot of volume when you close them. I have also found that the closures are not 100% reliable. If you accidentally overfill them, the contents can eventually force open the closure. However, this has only happened to me once or twice, and there is a max fill line to help make sure you don’t overfill it. Even though they are made out of the same material as Stasher, Zip Top does not recommend them for use with sous vide or baking.
Pros
Easy to clean and dry
Easy to fill
Easy to eat or serve out of
Can be recycled at specific silicone recyclers, and Zip Top is working on a take back program (from Zip Top’s FAQ page)
Cons
Mediocre seal
Not stackable
(re)zip
These reusable bags feel the most like a disposable freezer plastic storage bag. Because they are flimsier than Stasher and Zip Top containers, they are more difficult to clean. (Imagine trying to clean and dry a Ziploc bag.)
They are made out of food grade PEVA, which is a type of plastic. I use these because I already have them, but I don’t recommend using these. While they are a bit more durable than your typical plastic storage bag, mine still got stretch marks from using them to take some utensils and folding dishes to a potluck.
My main complaints are that they are plastic and very difficult to clean and dry. However, these are great if you’re looking for something that is closer in weight and feel to a typical disposable storage bag.
Pros
Lightweight
Cons
Difficult to clean and dry
Bee’s Wrap
I was really excited about using these, especially after I learned that cloth covered in beeswax is a practice that has existed for centuries. They are pretty cool and work pretty well, but overall, I find them difficult to clean and dry. I also do not like the sticky residue they leave on my hands when I use them.
Pros
Take up minimal storage space
Very versatile
Cons
Difficult to clean and dry
Do not last very long (Bee’s Wrap states on its website and product labels that the wraps last “up to a year with proper care and regular usage”.)
Uses
Here are some of my favorite ways to use my containers.
Restaurant or Potluck Leftovers
I bring my containers when we go out to eat so that we can pack up leftovers without using disposable products. I’m especially motivated to do this since LA has yet to ban plastic and styrofoam takeout products. It also allows us to pack up food we normally wouldn’t take because it wouldn’t be worth wasting a container (e.g., half a bowl of rice, banchan, bread, bones to make soup with, etc.).
They’re also great to bring to potlucks to use as a dish to eat out of and can also be used to take home leftovers.
DIY Ice Packs
To make my own ice packs for coolers, I fill my Stasher bags with filtered water and freeze them. This minimizes soggy cooler contents, and you will have clean cold drinking water once it melts!
Travel
I used to use Ziplocs to protect my suitcase contents from sunscreen or other liquids. However, I started using my Stasher and (re)zip bags instead. The Stasher bags are a lot bulkier than a Ziploc, so they aren’t the best if you’re really tight on space.
Summary
Overall, I’d recommend a combination of Glasslock, Stasher, and Zip Top products. I use my Glassslock’s the most, but I prefer Zip Top for storing liquids, and Stasher for anything I want to make sure stays fresh for as long as possible (e.g., cilantro). Glasslock’s are pretty great at keeping things fresh, but since you can’t squeeze the air out them and because they aren’t 100% leakproof, they don’t do quite as good of a job as Stasher.